Repackaging Libraries for Survival ― Climbing Out of the Box

Research libraries face many challenges in today’s declining economy. The essays in this book explore these challenges and were originally delivered at a conference entitled "Climbing Out of the Box: Repackaging Libraries for Survival," sponsored by the University of Oklahoma Libraries and held March 4-5, 2010, in Oklahoma City. The authors, recognized leaders in academic librarianship, broach sensitive, but necessary, discussions in how academic libraries provide services and resources today while planning for the future. As academic libraries continue to transform, each of the cases included provide specific examples of strategies used to place libraries in a position of competitive values for future research, teaching, and learning in higher education. Each situation is unique to the culture and economic conditions of particular institutions. However, the research cases provide all academic librarians with examples of how our libraries can repackage roles and content in order to survive in the twenty-first century.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Journal of Library Administration.

Sul H. Lee is Peggy V. Helmerich Chair and Dean of the University of Oklahoma Libraries, a position he has held since 1978. His academic background is in political science, international relations and library and information science and has authored more than two dozen books in the field of librarianship.